State comparison
Connecticut vs Arizona: which state is better to live in?
Arizona costs a median household about $6,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Connecticut, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,142 a year against $7,071 in Connecticut.
Connecticut
High tax burden · COL index 114
Wins 8 categories
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 8 categories
Taxes: Connecticut vs Arizona
Connecticut has a graduated income tax topping out at 6.99%, which works out to 4.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $3,352 a year. Arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax, which works out to 2.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,865 a year. Arizona wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 1.79% of home value a year in Connecticut and 0.51% in Arizona (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $7,071 against $2,142, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35% in Connecticut and 8.37% in Arizona; Connecticut is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $11,843 a year in Connecticut, $5,879 in Arizona. Arizona is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Connecticut's cost of living index is 114 and Arizona's is 102, where 100 is the national average; Arizona is about 12% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $395K in Connecticut and $420K in Arizona (Zillow, 2024), a $25K gap in Connecticut's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month in Connecticut and $1,600 in Arizona.
Home insurance averages $1,600 a year in Connecticut and $1,850 in Arizona, so Connecticut is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 474 in Arizona (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Connecticut is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 133% lower. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000 in Connecticut against 2,624 in Arizona, again favoring Connecticut.
Health
Life expectancy is 79.8 years in Connecticut and 76.3 in Arizona (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.5-year edge for Connecticut. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50 and Arizona's 34th, so Connecticut scores better on care.
5.9% of Connecticut residents have no health insurance against 10.8% in Arizona, which favors Connecticut. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut's K-12 schools 3rd in the country and Arizona's 45th, 42 places apart in Connecticut's favor. Arizona runs a school-choice voucher program; Connecticut does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Connecticut went to Harris by 12 points and Arizona went to Trump by 5 points.
Connecticut has may-issue carry permits and a Giffords gun-law grade of A; Arizona has permitless carry and a grade of F, so Connecticut regulates guns more tightly and Arizona is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is protected by state law in Connecticut and banned with narrow exceptions in Arizona, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $15.69 an hour in Connecticut and $14.35 in Arizona.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Connecticut (hurricane, flood, blizzard) and moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought). Annual average air quality index is 32 in Connecticut and 46 in Arizona (under 50 is good), favoring Connecticut.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
8
Connecticut
8
Arizona
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Connecticut or Arizona better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Arizona on taxes ($5,879 a year for a median household against $11,843); Arizona on everyday costs (index 102 against 114); Connecticut on safety (203 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Connecticut on schools (ranked 3rd against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Connecticut or Arizona?
Arizona is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 114. The median home is $395K in Connecticut and $420K in Arizona (2024). On state and local taxes Arizona saves a median household about $6,000 a year.
Does Connecticut or Arizona have lower taxes?
Arizona. A household earning $74,580 pays about $11,843 a year in Connecticut ($3,352 income tax, $7,071 property tax on the median home and $1,421 in sales tax) and $5,879 in Arizona ($1,865 income tax, $2,142 property tax on the median home and $1,873 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Connecticut or Arizona?
Connecticut, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 203 per 100,000 residents in Connecticut and 474 in Arizona; property crime is 1,380 against 2,624.
Which has better schools, Connecticut or Arizona?
Connecticut. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Connecticut 3rd of 50 for K-12 and Arizona 45th. Arizona also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Connecticut or Arizona better for retirees?
Arizona is friendlier to retirees on paper. Connecticut taxes Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has an estate tax; Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax. Property tax on a median home is $7,071 a year in Connecticut and $2,142 in Arizona.